Ok I have read about every article or forum on the web on this debate. I've been by 5 bike shops in the last few days and looked at way to many bikes; Raleigh, Giant, Trek, ect... And I am about to drive my self nuts in this debate about what bikes to purchase for Christmas for my wife and myself and I need someone to tell me what to do before I go nuts.

Here are a few things to consider also in my debate before I continue. I have pretty much narrowed down the choice to the Trek 7100 or the Trek Navigator 2.0. Sorry but cost is a factor. I looked are the *Mart stores and decided to spend a little more and get good bikes from a LBS. So spending the $300-$330 on the 7100 or Nav 2.0 is allready pushing it for me but I am willing to spend it. In addition I have 2 year old triplets and I have to purchase 2 Copilot baby seats (awesome seats) for each of the bikes and a Trek GoBug (trailer thing for kids if you dont know, there's 3 so someone is stuck getting pulled behind). So the extra gobug and seats are cutting into the bike budget a little. Otherwise I'd spend more on a upgraded bike like the 7300 or 3.0. This is just a enjoyable family thing for me and not so much a fitness thing, but ya never know once I get started. I am 35 and my wife is 40. Were both in good shape and great heath.

So I have been leaning toward the hybrid versus the comfort, cause of the 700 wheels. We will be doing pavement riding on the street a majority of the time. I am thinking avg 10 mile rides. I have heard the large wheels on the hybrid make for alot easier riding. However I was surprised how comfortable the nav 2.0 was when I rode it around the parking lot at the LBS. But I have heard on a longer ride (what defines a long ride anyway?) the hybrid would be more enjoyable. At the same time I want it to be causul and comfortable and that 2.0 was a little more comfy on the buttox. So can anyone help me out I just don't know which way to go at this point...

I think the Nav 2.0 might be better suited for the rides you describe. The difference between 26 and 700 wheels (my opinion only, many serious roadies will disagree) is only about one inch, the biggest difference is tire width, with the 26 being wider, more stable, and more versatile. With proper inflation, 26 x 1.95 tires can run up to 65 psi, I don't feel rolling resistance is a factor, and the theoretical speed advantage with 700's is not something you need towing 2 year olds, go for stability.The specs on those bikes seem pretty close otherwise. The one thing you will want to change for 10 mile rides is the seat. That big comfort seat won't be so comfortable on a longer ride. I ride a 2006 Raleigh Venture 5.0, classified as a comfort bike, it has 26 in. wheels, a frame more similar to a mountain bike, disc brakes, and enough gears to climb any hill or get some top speed. I have replaced the seat with a Serfas gel seat. This bike is similar to the Navigator, and is a great bike for my 8 - 12 mile neighborhood rides, bike and hiking trails around the local lake, and running errands. On a comfort/hybrid you will find that after you get familiar with it, you may be tightening up the front suspension and seat post. i have installed a solid seatpost on mine. Both feel good at first, but you will find a more solid setup more efficient, especially towing the kids. Best of luck in your riding.

Save yourself an extra bike purchase and get the hybrid. If you buy the cruiser and start really riding, you'll spring for the hybrid next summer. The summer after you'll buy the road bike, then two years later, carbon fiber.

I can look in my garage and vouch for the truth of that statement. The worst part is, with the cruiser you may never start really riding. Just too slow and uninspiring. If your interested enough to post on BF, get the hybrid and skip a bike purchase.

Trust me, for the kind of riding you are talking about, the size of the wheels makes no difference whatsoever, so I would not decide based on wheel size. I think it was Gary Fisher which a few years ago distinguished itself by making city hybrids with 26 inch wheels. I think that made a lot of sense. If you buy a comfort bike and later decide you wanted a hybrid, there isn't too much difference between them anyway. Tires, seat and handlebars are not too hard to change.

I'd go with the hybrid because of its versatility. It will do the family rides you've described about as well as the comfort bike, maybe better, and if you decide you want to do more--longer rides, even centuries, or day tours or whatever--you can do it on a hybrid with just a change of tires or a spare set of wheels. My main bike these days is an Atlantis, which is sold as an "all around" bike but comes close to being a hybrid, and with nothing but tire swaps, I've done everything from fire trails to centuries. A buddy of mine bought comfort bikes for himself and his wife, and he's constantly frustrated by the limits they put on him (his wife loves hers, so if you're sure you won't ever want to push, ignore me...)

I stopped by the LBS on the way home for the 3rd time. These guys must be going nuts watching me try to make a decision at this place, lol. anywho after reading many posts about the front suspension on the 3.0 versus the 2.0 I think I will bite the money bullet and spend the extra for the 3.0. I like having the ability to lock the forks as you suggested.

Ya I hear ya, but I am thinking about the comfort alot with the Nav. I figure if I do end up loving riding, then I will just buy a second one down the road and get a fitness bike. at least this way I will have the Nav for just the comfortable leasure riding. Plus the LBS suggested pulling the GoBug would be better with the Nav cause of the stability of the bigger tires. I do agree with what your saying though.

Either will do well, but, take this from someone on the inside, the wheels on a Trek Navigator 2.0 won't stay true, but the 7100's will. I do have a beef with rear mount child seats on a traditional diamond frame (men's bike). Once the seat is mounted, and the yougin' buckled in, how are you going to get on that bike? You can't swing your leg over the rear of the bike, you'll hit 1 of 3 in the head. Forget about stepping through the frame, as you're too manly to do that, and don't have the frame to accommodate that. I've seen a few too many bikes set up this way, with many kids hurt, father's pissed off at bike shops, and unused bikes out of sheer ignorance and selfish pride because you didn't want to ride a girl's bike.

As for the person who thought a 700c wheel was only one inch bigger then a 26" wheel, you failed geometry(leo3).

What do you mean the wheeels on the 2.0 won't stay true? Since I am seriously considering the 3.0 does that make a difference to what you saying since it come with different wheels? The LBS talked about how much better the 3.0 wheels were, or excuse me let me be more clear, tires. They are more resistant to flats. Or are you speaking more about the "wheel" as in rims? Are they known to warp or bend or something?

I haven't thought much about how to get on the bike with a kid, another great point! I remember my Dad kicked me in the jaw once when I was little. He only did that once though, I can't remember if he was just more careful after that or if it was cause we stopped riding after that? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Comfort bikes are a joke. They are good for nothing but a casual stroll. That being said, i would just as soon buy a cruiser as a comfort bike because at least they are fun to ride, and they look cool. I would also caution you about having too many fantasies of long enjoyable rides with a young set of triplets.

More than likely these outings will be extremely short and possibly full of stress. It always seems romantic to think of long rides with the kids in tow, but i have learned that it rarely works that way. Be lucky if you get 30 minutes before everyone is bawling their eyes out.

If you are young enough for triplets you are too young for a comfort bike.

The most important thing is to ride the bikes a bit and find out which one FEELS comfortable to YOU. There are no clear right or wrong choices between these bikes. Both bikes will work well for casual rides, or commute a reasonable distance to work. For instance, I have a Garry Fischer Nirvanna and it work well for me. My sister and bother-in law this past Summer also had to aquire new bikes. I am the shorty of the group at 6' 2.5" (my sister is a 1/2 taller and my brother in-law is 1" taller). My Brother in-law ended up with a Garry Fischer nearly identical to like mine, my sister was much more comfortable on a Venture series (Mens bike cause non of Womens bikes come close fitting her). Different models will fix one person but no an other comfortable even through they are only 1" appart in height.

Many folks hate front suspension. Personally I like how it smooths out the ride on the sometimes rough roads here in Western NY. I like to the lockout feature and have used it when I've had to go up a long hill to maximize my forward motion when I am up and out of the seat. While riding on flat ground I don't see any performance difference with it locked or unlocked. I commute 10 miles each day on my bike, and put just about 1700 miles on it since April 1st. I have also done a hand full of 30+ mile trips, and next Summer my sister and I are planning to ride from my house 65 miles along the Erie Canal to her house in the Rochester area. I personally like my hybrid, it is a good compromise between the "mountain bike" like cruisers with 26" wheels and an all out road bike with narrow 23 mm tires. I am not worried about a few pounds of extra weight on the bike. I have it loaded down with fenders, rear rack, and hub generator, and for the winter studded tires. What I have is a bike that I can RIDE and that is all that matters.

As I stated in the first paragraph, ride the bikes and find out which one works best for you.

The hybrid will probably be more comfortable for rides longer than around the parking lot. Comfort bikes put you in a very upright position, which puts a lot of weight on your butt. It will be easier riding if you have your weight over the pedals. For mounting the bike with a child seat, stand next to the child holding the back of the seat and swing your leg forward and over the top tube. Its also easier if the bike is on the road while you are standing on the sidewalk.

Well, the only difference I find between a hybrid and a comfort bike is the tires. If you want to go faster, get the hybrid...if you want the tires to help soak up the bumps, then get the comfort bike. Rent the bikes for a day, if your local bike rental has the same models, and then make a decision.

If the LBS has Copilot baby seats, check to see if they fit the bikes and if the bikes has mounting points in the dropouts and/or braze-ons for a rack. Otherwise you will have to use various sized clamps to bolt on a rack and check for stability and movement when you mount the seat.

Step through frames are a lot better if you are going to use a child seat on a rear rack...or plan on stopping by a curb or steps to get on and off your bike to avoid kicking your child or doing some weird body/leg contortions even when you lean your bike. Might look at some of the other alternative child seats like WeeRide:http://www.amazon.com/WeeRide-Kangar.../dp/B000FIH0EG

What do you mean the wheeels on the 2.0 won't stay true? Since I am seriously considering the 3.0 does that make a difference to what you saying since it come with different wheels? The LBS talked about how much better the 3.0 wheels were, or excuse me let me be more clear, tires. They are more resistant to flats. Or are you speaking more about the "wheel" as in rims? Are they known to warp or bend or something?

I haven't thought much about how to get on the bike with a kid, another great point! I remember my Dad kicked me in the jaw once when I was little. He only did that once though, I can't remember if he was just more careful after that or if it was cause we stopped riding after that? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

When a mechanic, such as me, refers to a wheel, we are talking about the whole completed piece: hub, spokes, spoke nipples, and rim. Every 2.0 I have assembled since 2005 (40 or so) I've had to remove the rear wheel and true it in a trueing stand, same for the front, but that comes unattached. The 700c wheels on the 7100 are built better.

Another bike to consider would be a crank forward design. We have a Trek Sole Ride with a 3 speed rear hub. It is a step through frame that was primarily for my wife, but was pressed into baby hauling use as it is a step through frame. Electra and Giant both make crank forward models.
Paradise Pier, Hunting Island State Park, SC

IMHO, the hybrid makes a better "all around" bike. I ♥ my Raleigh Detour Deluxe (hybrid) and it is much nicer to ride for 8-10 miles than my wife's Diamondback Wildwood Citi (comfort bike). At the end of the day it is a personal preferance though.

Contrary to what several others posted, I know many people who routinely ride comfort bikes for 15-40 miles and do so in comfort. I have neighbors with matching Trek Navigators who ride 20 miles 2-3 times a week on them and love them. I know a woman who does 40-50 mile rides on a Giant Suede and has gone on 150 mile, 3-day tours on it. Another person who takes regular 20-30 mile rides on his Specialized Expedition comfort bike.

Trek Navigators are popular bikes on the Wisconsin rail trails, I see them all the time, and I see them several miles from trailheads. Although I agree that if you can ride comfortably on a standard hybrid, then you should be faster and generally able to ride longer distances.

I have a 2002 Navigator 200, and still like it. I keep the tires at 60-62 lbs to keep the rolling resistance to a minimum when on pavement. For two years I pulled a Burley trailer, and now occasionally pull a Gary Fisher trailerbike.

I like the 1.95" as they give me the option to take it off pavement, as our area has as many unpaved trails as paved lanes. No, it's not a mountain bike, but I have surprised a good few people with how deep into the woods I have ridden and how well it can keep up. They guys with hybrid (narrow) tires say behind. The 34 tooth 1st gear cog helps in this area as well. I've had no major problems with the wheels - they are straight as received, and have remained so. I do notice, however, a bit of brake pulse over the welded seams, so maybe they are not as well 'finished' in that area.

I have mixed opinions on the fork and seatpost suspension. Generally I love them for the smooth ride. But I know they were working against me on a long steady grade road climb this past week where I was occasionally standing.

There have been two frame changes and a lot of equipment shuffling in the past 5 years in the Navigator series, so I am not 100% sure if we are comparing apples to apples. But I think if you can only own one bike in that price range, the Trek Nav 3.0 is a decent compromise. A good all-purpose bike.

One of my ride buddies has a Trek 7100 and is real happy with it. It is comfortable and reliable. I have done some tune-ups on it and the equipment is good for entry level stuff. Upgrade a few drivetrain parts over the years and you will have a real nice bike. bk

I have a hybrid and it has proven to be versatile in attempting to ride on different terrain. I had spent endless periods trying to look for just the perfect bike when I first got into cycling not knowing even what type of riding I prefered. In the end, the hybrid suited my needs most as I now like variety in my riding. It's proven to be the ideal first bike for me especially after a saddle-upgrade to add comfort on rides exceeding two hours.

Get yourself a Gary Fisher 29 incher. You can fit a wide variety of tires for road and off-road riding or a combination of the two. You can fit it for comfort or for more aggressive riding. The disc brakes are pretty reliable under almost all types of conditions. The suspension fork makes it a little front-heavy, but it pretty much balances when you put a rear rack (after all, you're talking rides with your family right? where are you gonna put all those snacks and clothes changes, etc?). This is a good multi-purpose bike. It's rock solid and handles well. I own one and couldn't be happier with it. I do 50+ mile trips, every-day commuting, family rides. Again, a great value.